Bill Plaschke Discovers Earth Is Round, Says Pete Carroll Doesn't Follow The Rules

by Nestor on Aug 8, 2009 3:27 PM PDT in Media Watch Comment 22 comments

Pete Carroll no longer a clean head coach per LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke

Let's recap first how Bill Plaschke for years have been living under a rock. Here was Plaschke in spring of 2006 when the Bush story initially broke (sorry the link for article dated April 26, 2006 doesn't work any more but immortalized in a BN roundup post from September of 2006, emphasis ours througout):

Because Carroll has worked hard to build that rare dynasty that follows the rules.

And from the same post we excepted Bill gushing about Pom Pom in another column from August of 2006:

In every locker room meeting, every day, Carroll talks as much integrity as strategy.

"We're cutting edge on this stuff, we're working it and working it," Carroll said.

"I'm disappointed we have to deal with these questions, but we're working hard to do this better than anyone's ever done it before."

That has long been Carroll's mantra here, doing it better than anyone's done it before.

Yes that was Bill three years ago. In his eyes there were no questions hovering around Petey's program because Petey in his eyes was always following the rules. For years he decided not to write about what everyone else in the country was talking about. Finally after one blockbuster scandal after another finally made the Trojans a national joke this summer, he decided to break his silence and formally question his Trojan overlords this June.

And today, for the first time Bill is formally saying what everyone else has been saying for years:

"One of our mottos is, a relentless pursuit of competitive advantage in everything we do," Carroll said Thursday.

Um, Pete, that attitude is exactly what has landed USC in trouble.

"We're not in trouble," Carroll said.

Yes, you are. By college sports definition, any time NCAA investigators are hanging around, you are in trouble.

They showed up for the Reggie Bush stuff, and apparently they are going to stay for the Pete Rodriguez stuff, this special teams consultant who admitted he attended USC practices, which is a direct violation of those stupid rules.

LOL. Can't you sense the agony in his column? The "stupid rules" putting his team in under the proverbial microscope. Guess the rules are only "stupid" when discussed in the context of Southern Cal. Bill continues:

On the field, the program is all about testing limits, and it succeeds.

Off the field, if Carroll keeps testing those same limits, it is doomed to fail.

"It's so important for us to do right, this is such a tremendous program, it's worth it, it's worth learning, digging in, figuring things out," Carroll said.

Fine. Check the angles. Work, dig, figure. But in the end, at some point, Carroll has to just throw up his hands and gently comply.

Did you get that? Bill Plaschke, the star columnist (hey don't LYAO ... stay with me here for a second) for the Trojan Times is now officially saying that Pom Pom Petey has to "gently comply" with "stupid rules." In other words, in Bill's eyes Petey Carroll hasn't been following the rules off the field to build up this "dynasty."

Guess, it's all about baby steps. First, a few months ago Bill figured out that something wasn't right in SuCville after years of being in denial about it, and now he has figured out his football coach (Trojans are his team after all) might have not been "following the rules."

Congrats on figuring out the Earth is round Bill.

GO BRUINS.

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Hell hasn't frozen over yet

But it’s starting to get chilly.

by Tydides on Aug 8, 2009 3:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Brett Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit

I might have to keep the sound on this year. It could be hilarious either way (just like its LOL funny to read Plaschke these days).

by Nestor on Aug 8, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not holding my breath

“Stupid rules” and “gently comply” both show that Plaschke has yet to accomplish the simple step of opening his eyes and seeing reality. Nearly every other media outlet in America has done it.

Tempering one’s ignorance and admitting the truth are worlds very far apart.

greg in denver - UCLA guy for life

by gbruin on Aug 8, 2009 4:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I was trying to be kind

Its also funny how he is trying so hard to justify it all. Even if Pom Pom broke the rules he did it because gosh the guy is so competitive.

by Nestor on Aug 8, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I picked up on that too.

A sense that “OK, maybe it was cheating after all.” but “He does it so well and with such class, that you really can’t fault the guy.”

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Aug 9, 2009 8:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Love Nestor's headline on this post

It made me laugh out loud.

by Barnes2JJ on Aug 8, 2009 4:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Let me guess

Bill Plaschke has an axe to grind with or has a grudge against u$c*? Funny thing is that’s becoming common with the media as they all develop a “grudge” after kissing suc’s ass for years.

Keep the drum beating

Troy will fall.

by Bruins102NCAA on Aug 8, 2009 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Like Reggie Bu$t once said,

“You have to follow the rules sometimes.”

by godblesstyus95 on Aug 8, 2009 5:42 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

not to be a nitpicker

but Carroll is missing an r in your headline.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Aug 8, 2009 6:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

LOL

Doh. My bad. Reasonable slip on my part because we are so used to calling him Pom Pom or Chetey Petey.

by Nestor on Aug 8, 2009 6:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plaschke is usually too busy thinking about his next poetic, one-sentence paragraph to put in his “column” to pay attention to trivial things like sports.

by UCLAClass82 on Aug 8, 2009 6:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

When asked for a response, Coach Carroll replied... (choose one)

“We own the NCAA.”
“Rules are for fools.”
“Trojans get away with murder.”
“Because a million matters are under investigation, the university has directed me not to comment.”

by ucla7477 on Aug 8, 2009 9:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Not quite there yet

It sounds like Plaschke has finally realized that he has been fooled by Carroll, but he is not quite at the point of declaring Carroll a cheat. Plaschke is still trying to appeal to the USC readership and the LA Times bosses. The article should have been titled, “Hey Pete, we all know your cheating so stop it so we at the Times don’t look like idiots for ignoring your lies and not doing our job for so long.”

by Chicago Bruin on Aug 9, 2009 7:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well you can’t expect a lap dog to become a pit bull overnight

by bru79 on Aug 10, 2009 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

At least

A lot of the people who refused to see the obvious problems are finally starting to acknowledge them. The fact that even people like Plaschke are writing articles like this makes me hope that the NCAA is actually working on something. I say that because I think the only reason a butt kissing loser like Plaschke would write this article is so he can point to it (ignoring the rest of his body of work) after the hammer comes down and claim he has been on top of it. I don’t think he would write the article unless he believed that something was at least coming down the pike. No comment on time frame, but at least it gives me hope that something is still happening. I just hope that u$c* gets beat by Cal and Oregon, because I believe when u$c* slips from the top spot, the NCAA will jump on them. Just my feeling.

by sponkey21 on Aug 9, 2009 10:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs